An informal, happy crowd is gathering in the Meteor foyer when I arrive for this double bill. I grab a drink and happily check out some of the Hamilton Fringe art exhibitions while we wait.

Once we’re seated, writer Antony-Paul Aiono takes the stage and invites us to watch his play, The Door is Symbolism. The flyer leads with “on the day of his brother’s funeral, a boy struggles to mourn” and the opening scene brings Jordan (Sebastian Bryne) onto stage; semi-dressed, surly, sad. His mum, Anne (Julia Watkins), is barely managing to hold herself together and is realistic as a mother taking on multiple jobs at a busy, stressful time.

The flyer promises emotion and Bryne has Jordan brimming with it. He’s tightly wound, restless and angry. When he realises he’s missing something he needs behind a locked door in the house, it seems like more than he can manage. Enter Andrew (Benny Marama), a visitor with a purpose, but not the one he first intended.

The scenes between Byrne and Marama are key. Aiono, as both writer and director, is not afraid of silence and there are moments of humour, especially the world’s most awkward: polite sipping of a glass of water. The play is well constructed with a clear sense of purpose and a resolution that avoids cliché. 

The second play is introduced by writer Benny Marama. Set in the not-too-distant future, it has the excellent Emma Koretz as Jess, a likeable modern ‘everywoman’. Her personal complication is immediately revealed but it’s her interactions with her Artificial Intelligence (AI) software systems that make the story build, and challenge the audience to consider the impact of the future of technology. How smart do we really want our systems to be? 

Koretz is an accomplished comic actor, as well as showing range with emotion, and is great as Jess.  Antony-Paul Aiono takes on several roles, including AI ‘Walt’ and ex-boyfriend Simon, and is sound overall, while Charlotte Isaac modulates her voice brilliantly as the suffocating AI ‘Florence’. It’s a neat piece of work from Marama with some very relatable moments for the audience as the technology threatens to overwhelm. 

It’s great to see experimental new work from local writers. The advertising promises “Two plays. Three nights. So much emotion.” Only two nights left, so well worth an hour of your time to get along.  

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